OCR Text |
Show To maintain a separate primary class in case five or more Indian pupils eqter the school at one time, all of whom are ignorant of the English language, in whioh instruction shall be given at least forty minutes of each day with speeisl reference to teaching them to converse in English. The Indian pupils to he advanced to alassescontaining white children ss soon ss their knowledge of English nlskes their instruction with whits children praotioable. To supply the aeid pnpils with all schoolbooks, slates, slate penoiln, lead penoils, pen% ink, paper;school appliances, and other articles necessary and usually found in a properly conducted public sohool among the: whites. To protect the pupils inolutled in thia contract fromridicule, insult, and other improper conduct at the hands of their fellow-pupils, and to encourage them in every reasonable manner to attend sohuol exercises punotuellg, regul.%rly, and to perform their duties with the same degree of interest and industry as their fellow-pupils. the children of white citisens. To report concerning the ettendanoe and progress of said pupila and upon blank forms to he furnished by the party of the first part. To enroll s8pupile under this contract no Indim pnpils under 5 or over 21 years of age, and no mixed hlaoda whose parents, or either of them,are owners of taxable real estate in the diatriot aforesaid or in the State or Territory in whioh the school named herein is situated, except by special penniasion of the Commia-sioner of Indian Atfaira. This gives to school districts in sparsely settled communitiesenoour-agement to open and substantial help in supporting their schools, and insures to their Indian element a welcome into public school life which it might otherwise miss. In order to give wider publicity to this matter and especially to enlist the interest and assistance of State school officers in furthering it, I addressed the following letter on the 4th of May last to the superin-tendents of public instruction in the States where Indian tribes are found: In its efforts to eivilizs tbe Indians and to assimilate them with the white popula-tion of the United Statea in habits of industry, thrift and self-reliance, theIndian Office has found that no ogeney produces gratifying results more speedily than the public soboola to whioh children of Indians have been admitted, and where they have been educated in company with the children of their whiteneighbors. It is to he noted furthermore that, in sooordenoe mith dl reports on the subject, the pres-nee of children of Indian parentage in puhlio schools in no oaee baa operated a. s a hindrance or injury to the respective sohools. It is, consequently, thedesire and bbpe of the Indian O&oe that the pnblio schools of the States and Territories inhabited partly by Indiana may open their doors more and more freely to these doaile and intelligent wards of the nation, and as a step in this direction the Indian Office would solicit your active cooperation in its efforts to bring abont thia desirable condition. The I n d i a Office is prepared to enter into contract with the trustees of public district schools, as wall as with the trustees of public schools of the town8 snd oities, for theinstruction of Indian ohildren, under suitable conditions, and will agree to pay for such inatruations $10 per quarter of three months for every Indim ohild in actual attendsnee at ~tsuoh schools. I woul~rle spectfully ask you to bring this matter to the notice of school authori. ties in your State, with such words of encouragement as you may deem proper. At the same time, the Superintendent of Indian Schools st Washington. D. C.,is ready to correspond further with you upon this subject and to furnish yon whatever data he may possess. |